Increasing your protein, combined with resistance training, can be an effective way to build more muscle.
Muscle matters when it comes to metabolic health, bone health and longevity. Below are some simple, speedy, protein-rich meal ideas and my fridge, freezer and store cupboard essentials!
1. Chicken, Pesto & Green Bean salad (30g protein)
Sliced and sauted chicken breast with sauted green beans, garlic, pesto, cottage cheese and pickled cucumbers. Slice your chicken breast and pan fry in olive oil until brown. Add a clove of chopped garlic and keep the heat low to not burn the garlic.
Add a dash of butter or olive oil to a separate pan and then add 150-200g of frozen green beans (or fresh however I find frozen extremely convenient!). Sautee until heated through and soft. Add a dollop of Seggiano pesto (made with olive oil – just delicious!) and mix through. To the chicken, add herbs (dried/fresh or frozen), salt and remove from the heat.
Plate up the beans, add the chicken, add a heap tablespoon of cottage cheese and an additional dollop of pesto for flavour and extra potassium and magnesium. Add some picked cucumbers (I use the Eaten Alive pickled cucumbers)
2. Steak, Greens & Tomato Salad (25-30g protein)
Pan-seared steak sliced over a salad of leafy greens, chopped cherry tomatoes with garlic, salt and olive oil, cucumber, sauted green beans and a forkful of sauerkraut. Drizzle with olive oil and a dollop of lemon olive oil mayonnaise or a squeeze of lemon juice. Add a side of hummus for additional protein and fibre.
3. Beef bolognaise with Asparagus & Pesto (30g protein)
Sauté chopped red onion in a pan with olive oil. Chop garlic and add to the pan. Add the minced beef and good gently until brown, add a jar of passatta or pasta sauce (my favourite is Seggiano Puttanesca). For extra flavour and protein, add two heap tablespoons of beef bone broth powder.
In a separate pan, sauté fresh asparagus in olive oil and a little butter and chopped garlic. Plate up the bolognaise, add the asparagus, a dollop of Pesto and some pickled cucumbers.
4. Chicken, Mushroom, Peas & Edamame Stir-Fry with Lime & Jalepeno Avo (30g protein)
Add diced chicken breast into a heated pan and stir-fry with frozen edamame beans, frozen peas, sliced mushrooms, garlic, mixed dried herbs, salt and a heap tablespoon of pesto. Whilst the chicken is cooking, mash a small ripe avocado and add salt and a few dashes of Eaten Alice fermented Lime & Jalapeño dressing.
Serve with some salad leaves, add the mashed avocado to the plate, option a dollop of Greek yoghurt and spoon on the stir-fried chicken and veggies.
5. Egg-fried Cauliflower Rice (with sliced steak/prawns – optional)
Add a little olive oil to a pan, take a bag of frozen cauliflower rice (I use Pack’d). Sauté gently until thawed and browning. Add dried herbs, an optional tablespoon of bone broth powder for flavour and additional goodness and a generous handful of frozen peas.
Make a clearing in the centre of the pan, crack 2-3 eggs and let them sit in the clearing of the cauli-rice to cook for 3-5 minutes until they resemble cooked egg. Once cooked mix them into the cauli-rice mix. Add a pinch of salt, plate up and add a dollop of basil or tomato pesto.
Serve with cooked slice steak or mix in cooked prawns for additional protein.
6. Smoked Salmon, beetroot and Cottage cheese bagels (25g protein)
Dillon Organic bagels are always in my cupboard. Made with golden linseed, sunflower seeds and gut friendly psyllium husk, they provide approximately 6g of protein per bagel. Served with a generous portion of smoked salmon and cottage cheese, cooked beetroot (roasted, fermented or grated raw) this is a tasty and speedy way to build a protein (and fibre rich!) meal.
7. Roast Chicken Salad & Edamame, Pea, Mint and Avocado (30g protein)
Left over roast chicken can be whipped up into a delicious meal by simply mixing it with Greek yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, fresh herbs of choice and a little salt. In a pan, heat olive oil and add frozen edamame beans, peas, garlic and herbs of choice and stir until cooked. Take a ripe avocado and add to a blender, add the cooked peas and edamame beans and some mint (if you have it! If not add the lime and jalapeno dressing) pulse until a chunky. Plate up the chicken salad and chunky bean and pea avo mash. Serve with leaves or fresh/pickled cucumbers. Add a side of seedy, grain-free crackers for extra fibre and goodness.
8. Greek Yoghurt with Chocolate Protein Powder, chopped strawberries, topped with a seedy nutty granola.
I love a Greek yoghurt berry bowl!
I start with the fruit – either frozen blueberries or frozen organic chopped strawberries. Then add 300g of Greek yoghurt with x 2 tablespoons of protein powder (optional). You could add organic hulled hemp for additional protein.
Topping can be a mixture of sesame seeds, coconut flakes, pecans, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds a couple of Brazil nuts.
If you are looking for a simple and easy seedy/nutty granola, Pal & Leo do a wonderful organic, grain-free granola, Rollagranola also do a delicious range of grain-free, low sugar granolas.
Handy Fridge Essentials:
Greek Yoghurt
Cottage Cheese
Boiled Eggs
Chicken/Beef
A good pesto
Pickled Cucumbers
Lime & Jalapeño fermented dressing
Sauerkraut/Kimchi
Olive oil Hummus
Handy Freezer Essentials
Frozen Edamame beans
Frozen Peas
Frozen berries
Frozen mixed veggies
Handy Store Cupboard Essentials
Low-carb Fibre-rich Bagels
A Seedy/Nutty Granola (low sugar) e.g Pal & Leo
Crackers eg The Keto Elf, Olinas Seed Crackers
Olive oil mayonnaise
A high-quality Protein Powder eg Hunter & Gather cacao or original grass-fed beef protein powder
Bone Broth Powder
Dried Organic Herbs
Organic Hulled Hemp
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